Method for a Radio Base Station and a Radio Base Station in a Communication Network System for Assisting in or Obtaining Assistance in the UL Reception of Signals

1. A method in a radio base station of assisting one or more neighbour radio base stations in UL signal reception, the method comprising the steps of: serving a first group of UE with communication over a frequency carrier; controlling timing of signal transmission from the first group of UE to be aligned at arrival at the radio base station, by sending a time alignment value to any UE in the first group whose signal is misaligned at arrival; Fourier processing time domain signal samples of the frequency carrier, with timing of the Fourier processing adjusted to the timing of arrival of signals from the first group of UE, and thereby producing Fourier processed samples relating to the first group of UE; receiving a request from one of said neighbour base stations to provide Fourier processed signal information, relating to a second group of one or more UE that is/are served by the requesting neighbour base station wherein the signal/s from the second group of UE arrive/s at the radio base station non-aligned with the signal/s of the first group of UE; Fourier processing time domain signal samples of the frequency carrier with timing adjusted to the arrival of signal/s from the second group UE, thereby producing Fourier processed signal information relating to the second group UE; and sending the Fourier processed signal information that relates to the second group UE to the requesting neighbour radio base station.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the received request comprises an indication of the timing for the Fourier processing of signals from the second group of UE.

3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the received request comprises UE specific properties in the transmitted signal from the second group UE, wherein the radio base station identifies the timing of the arrival of signal/s from the second group UE based on said UE specific properties of the signal.

4. A method according to claim 3 , wherein said UE specific properties in the signal comprises at least one of: a sounding reference signal, a demodulation reference signal, a spreading code, a random access preamble.

5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein time at the radio base station is structured into a series of time slots and that are grouped into frames that each include a sequence of predefined number of the time slots, and the timing of the Fourier processing of the second group UE is not the same in all time slots of the frame.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein Fourier processing in a time slot is adjustable to two or more timings, with separate Fourier processing being performed for each timing.

7. A method according to claim 5 , comprising the further step of informing one or more of said neighbour radio base stations of the timing in the time slots of the Fourier processing of the second group UE.

8. A method according to claim 1 , wherein time at the radio base station is structured into a series of time slots and that are grouped into frames that each include a sequence of predefined number of the time slots, and the received request indicates one or more time slots in which the signal/s from the second group UE arrives, and wherein the Fourier processing of the second group UE is performed for the indicated time slots of the frames.

9. A method according to claim 1 , comprising receiving an additional request from another neighbour base station than that which sent the previous request, wherein the additional request is to provide Fourier processed signal information relating to one or more UE of the second group of UE and that is/are served by the neighbour base station from which the additional request is received, and performing the steps of Fourier processing the signals on the carrier and sending the Fourier processed signal information thereby produced to the radio base station from which the additional request was received.

10. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the received request/s indicates one or more group/s of sub-carriers of the frequency-carrier that is/are used by the second group UE, and selecting output data from the Fourier processing that relates to the indicated group/s of sub-carriers for the sending to the requesting neighbour base station.

11. A method according to claim 6 , wherein the second group of UE comprises plural UE and the timing of arrival of signals from the second group UE is divided into to two or more timing-sub-groups, such that if signals from two or more of the second group UE relate to the same timing-sub-group the signals arrive mutually aligned while signals relating to separate timing-sub-groups arrive non-aligned at the radio base station, wherein separate Fourier processing are made for the timing-sub groups of signals and adjusted to the timing of the timing- sub-groups.

12. A method according to claim 11 , wherein when Fourier processing is assigned to be made with timing adjusted to the first timing-sub-group and arrival of signal/s from some of the second group UE relates to the second timing-sub-group, before starting the Fourier processing adjusted to the second timing-sub-group, checking the capacity to perform the Fourier processing according to the request previously received in respect of the UE relating to the second timing-sub-group, and performing the Fourier processing adjusted to the second timing-sub-group if there is capacity.

13. A method according to claim 12 , wherein if there is a lack of capacity for the Fourier processing to be adjusted according to the second timing-sub-group, sending information on the lack of capacity to the neighbour radio base station that sent the request that relates to the second group UE whose signal arrival timing is within the second sub-group.

14. A method according to claim 13 , wherein the information indicates time slots were there is Fourier capacity.

15. A method according to claim 13 , wherein the information indicates timing of one timing-sub-group closest in time to that of the second timing-sub-group.

16. A method in a radio base station of obtaining assistance from a neighbour radio base station in receiving a signal from one or more UE, comprising the steps of, serving a first group of UE with communication on a frequency carrier, controlling the timing of signals from the first group of UE to be aligned at arrival at the radio base station, by sending a timing alignment value to any UE in the first group whose signal arrives misaligned; Fourier processing the signals on the frequency carrier, with timing adjusted to the arrival of the signals from the first group of UE, thereby producing Fourier processed samples relating to the first group of UE; sending a request to the neighbour radio base station to provide Fourier processed signal information relating to a second group of UE which comprises one or more UE of the first group, wherein the request further includes at least one of, an indication of the timing of arrival at the neighbour radio base station of signals from the second group UE, and UE specific properties of the signals/s transmitted from the second group UE; receiving from the second neighbour radio base station Fourier processed signal information relating to the second group UE; estimating the information bits transmitted from the second group UE based on the Fourier processed signal information as produced in the radio base station and based on the Fourier processed signal information as received from the second radio base station.

17. A method according to claim 16 , wherein the UE specific properties of the signal comprises at least one of; a random access preamble, a sounding reference signal, a demodulation reference signal, a spreading code.

18. A method according to claim 16 , comprising the further step of, estimating the timing of arrival of the signal/s from the sub-group UE at the neighbour radio base station and including the estimated timing in the request sent to the second radio base station.

19. A method according to claim 18 , wherein the indication of timing of arrival at the neighbour base station of the second group UE signals, is based on frequency domain samples as received from the neighbour radio base station prior to the request is sent.

20. A method according to claim 16 wherein the indication of timing of arrival at the neighbour base station of signals sent from second group UE, is based on estimated timing as is received from the second group UE.

21. A method according to claim 16 wherein prior to the sending step is performed the step of: determining to request the neighbour radio base station to provide Fourier processed signal information relating to signal/s from a second group UE that comprises one or more UE of the first group, wherein the determination is based on the quality of the UL communication with the second group UE and/or based on an estimation that the neighbour radio base station will be able to receive signals from the second group UE.

22. A method according to claim 16 , wherein the second group of UE comprises plural UE and the timing of arrival at the neighbour radio base station of signals from the second group UE relates to two or more timing-sub-groups, such that if signals from two or more of the second group UE relate to the same timing-sub-group the signals arrive mutually aligned while signals relating to separate timing-sub-groups arrive non-aligned at the radio base station, comprising the further step of scheduling UL transmission of the second group UE such that the second group UE that are granted to transmit in the same timeslot relate to a restricted number of timing sub groups.

23. A radio base station for assisting a neighbour radio base stations in UL signal reception, and that comprises; an interface for communicating with the neighbour radio base station, a radio receiver, a radio transmitter, a processor connected to the radio receiver and to the radio transmitter and when run by computer program configured to support communication with a first group of UE over a frequency carrier and control the timing of arrival of signals from a first group of UE by sending a timing alignment command to any UE of the first group whose signal arrive misaligned at the radio base station, further is/are said processor and/or one or more further processors equipped with computer software and when run on said processors they are operable to; Fourier process samples of the frequency carrier with timing adjusted to the arrival of the time aligned signals of the first group of UE; Fourier process samples of the frequency carrier with timing adjusted to the arrival of signals from a second group UE, in response to a request from said neighbour base station and wherein signals from the second group UE arrive at the radio base station non-aligned with the signals from the first group UE; and sending to the neighbour radio base station Fourier processed signal information relating to the second group UE.

24. The radio base station of claim 23 , wherein the arrival of signals of the second group UE relates to several timing sub-groups, and wherein the Fourier processing timing is adjustable to several of these timing sub-groups, with separate Frequency processes being performed for each of the sub-groups that the timing is adjusted to.

25. The radio base station of claim 24 wherein time at the radio base station is structured into series of time slots and wherein the Fourier processing is adjustable to one or more of said timing sub-groups the time slots, and adjustable to different of the timing sub-groups in different of the time slots.